Squarepoint Ops LLC Decreases Stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI)

Squarepoint Ops LLC decreased its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI - Free Report) by 72.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,131 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in Houlihan Lokey were worth $408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Houlihan Lokey by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,617 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 12,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Houlihan Lokey by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Houlihan Lokey by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Scott L. Beiser sold 8,008 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.71, for a total value of $1,431,109.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.02, for a total transaction of $86,510.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 23.68% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on HLI. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $190.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Houlihan Lokey has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $185.00.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HLI traded up $2.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $176.99. The company had a trading volume of 278,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 351,402. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.14 and a 12 month high of $192.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.16.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $666.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $628.25 million. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 20.04%. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Houlihan Lokey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.60 dividend. This is an increase from Houlihan Lokey's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Houlihan Lokey's payout ratio is currently 41.24%.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.